Music

YM:Thank you for joining us, please briefly explain your profession and what type of projects you typically work on.
SB:I am a composer in all genres... film, baroque, classical, jazz, ambient, world. I taught at the Berklee College of Music in Boston from 1974-78 before moving to LA. My very first gig was working as a music copyist at the John Davidson Singers' Summer Camp on Catalina Island in 1978, then went on to arrange for Andy Williams, Cher, Magician David Avadon, Gary Burton and the Buffalo Philharmonic. For many years my main bread and butter was supervising the music prep department at Universal, and in that capacity I worked on over 500 films. My recent projects include Peter's "Gravity & Grace," five films for the Elevate Film Festival, "Brian O'Brian" for the Disney Channel, the documentaries "1000 Journals" and "Mythic Journeys," the infamous "Zelda" trailer, and "The Ore," the latter two being projects written and directed by my son Sam. I'm also beginning two more CDs of my own, co-produced with my wife, Joanne Warfield.

YM:Did you ever think that you would be interviewed on a yoga website?
SB:Never in a million years!

Let's start at the beginning of the yoga project, what is Gravity and Grace and how did you come to be a part of it?
I had scored "The Black Door" (shot by my son) for the Elevate Film Festival, and Mikki Willis, founder of the festival, called to ask if I would score a yoga video he had just directed for Peter Sterios. It was commissioned by Chris Miglino. I went to Mikki's house to view some of the footage, and from almost the opening frame I knew I wanted to be a part of the project. It looked exquisite... like no yoga video I had ever seen.

YM:Songs are usually licensed for Yoga and fitness DVDs. Where did the concept of an original composition come from?
SB: I'm sure it came from Mikki, and perhaps from Chris Miglino. Licensing can be quite costly (as can original compositions), and with what is called "needle drops," you can't really fine-tune the flow of existing music to picture. I know that both Mikki and Chris wanted to create a product that stood out from all the rest.

YM: In watching this DVD, one can tell that it is different from any other kind of yoga DVD, how was it different for you?
SB:I have seen a few over the years and they mostly are very bright, on a white set, a yoga studio, at the beach, or poolside at a resort. "Gravity & Grace" was filmed with three cameras on a black set, the four participants are in black, and the Manduka mats are black. The result is amazing. Mikki's filmwork is integral to look of the DVD, and the word "grace" from the title certainly embodies the entire feel of the project. I had to live up to that in the music.

YM:Would you score another yoga DVD?
SB:After spending over five solid weeks writing and recording three hours of music for this project, I felt "never again," but now I would probably do it in a heart beat.

YM:Was making the composition for Gravity and Grace different from scoring a full length motion picture?
SB:The process of "spotting the film" is identical to how it's done for a motion picture. I work in MOTU's Digital Performer, and that allows me to view the footage with time code. I obviously didn't write to underscore emotion or car chases, but the basic principle was similar.

YM: Please explain the process of working on this particular project.
SB:Peter and I spent two full days spotting the footage, discussing how the music should be for almost every frame of film. I took meticulous notes with timings to indicate the energy level for any given moment. We identified three levels, so a routine might start out at Level One, then at 1:15 go to Level Two for fifteen seconds, then back to Level One 23 seconds later, and so on. And by levels, I don't necessarily mean being faster or more rhythmic. Peter wanted an increase in level by thickening the texture, adding more instruments, to accompany an increase in physical exertion. We might see him with one hand and a foot on the mat, and everything else is in the air... there's a lot going on there. A piece might start out with a strummed drone on a 25-string monochord, then at Level Two some tablas might come in. I could add a marimba or a duduk, then fade out the monochord and bring in a Celtic harp and steel drums. The combinations and possibilities are endless.

YM:What can someone expect if they buy the Gravity and Grace soundtrack?
SB:Two hours and 43 minutes of a rich sonic journey, on two discs. And a gorgeous-looking double-fold CD package (no jewel case), designed by Joanne Warfield.

YM:Is it only for yoga?
SB:No, and that's the beauty of it. The CD has been used for meditation, relaxation, movement, exercising, and long drives in the car. I received a phone call from a wine maker who was on his yacht off the coast of southern Mexico. He and his guests, right at that moment, were enjoying a wine tasting while listening to "Gravity & Grace" on a glassy-calm sea. AND, four tracks from the CD are in the film "The Moses Code." How cool is that?

YM: Do you practice yoga or meditation?
SB:I did not do yoga at the time of the project. I was an out-of-shape "studio rat." But Peter told me, "Whether you know it or not, you are already doing yoga." He was very wise with that comment: last New Year's Eve I was inspired to take my very first yoga class, and since then I have started every day with an intensive one-hour yoga routine, and it has changed my life.

YM: Do you practice with the DVD?
SB: I have practiced with some of the DVD, but parts of it are way beyond my abilities. What Chrisandra Fox does in her solo routine is unreal! (The corresponding CD track is "Windward Isles, Desert Sands," by the way.) But that's the beauty of it... you can choose your own level and skip what you can't do.

YM: What music do you listen to when you are not composing?
SB: I usually listen to talk radio. I rarely listen to music because I always have music in my head. Either I am always composing, while driving a car or taking a walk, or I'm "playing" the last piece I heard. And when I DO listen, I love all sorts of world music... Joao Bosco, Glen Velez, Lokua Kanza, Loreena McKennitt, Astor Piazolla, Deep Forest, Axiom of Choice, Hamza el Din, Djivan Gasparyan, and anything by Mickey Hart.

YM: You have worked on some interesting and amazing projects lately! Tell us about them.
SB: Being associated with the Elevate Film Festival has been an amazing journey. The films I worked on are "The Black Door," "Mr. President," "Players Club," "Caterpillar Dreams," and "Channels." That one association alone has led to many rich and wonderful projects and relationships.

Disney's "Brian O'Brian" is a fun, mad-cap series shot in Milan that has stretched me into a somewhat Elfman/Pee Wee Herman direction that has been a real hoot. Danny Kaplan is the director.

"1000 Journals," directed by Andrea Kreuzhage, features the art project of the same name that "some guy" in San Francisco created. He bought 1000 blank art journals, made a custom cover for each, numbered them, and sent them out into the world for people to add their thoughts, photos, drawings, and scribblings to, with the hope that when they return he can feature them in an art installation. Andrea traveled to four continents to follow many of the journals. Before I even scored the film, I had featured the project in my Internet magazine (TheScreamOnline.com), and my wife and I each obtained a journal and added our own artwork, so it was quite an amazing synchronicity that I was asked to compose for the film.

The "Zelda" trailer made Internet history as the world's greatest April Fool's joke. The gaming network, IGN.com, commissioned my son to create a movie trailer for a non-existent film, and "The Legend of Zelda" was a natural choice, it being one of the most popular games of all time. It can be seen at rainfallfilms.com.

"The Ore" is a 20-minute fantasy film that was featured on the Sci-Fi UK channel, and is being considered for a series.

"Mythic Journeys" is a Steven Boe production that I am currently working on. It features Deepak Chopra, Michael Meade, Coleman Barks, Sobonfu Some, Jean Houston, many Joseph Campbell luminaries from the world of mythology, and the voices of Mark Hamill, Lance Henriksen ("Aliens" Bishop), and Tim Curry.

YM: What are a few of your favorite projects that you have ever worked on?
SB: "Gravity & Grace," "The Ore," and my novel-in-work about alchemy.

YM: What do you like to do with your free time?
SB: I don't even know what "free time" means!

YM:Is there anything you haven't done in your career?
SB: Haven't written a symphony yet, although I am in the embryonic stage of a symphonic piece featuring sarod. I once started a musical called "Shoe Shine," but that has been shelved for 20 years. And I know that I will never work on a film that portrays overt violence, rape, misogyny, child abuse... you get the picture.

YM: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
SB: Accepting an Academy Award for scoring one of my son's films.

YM:What advice do you have for those interested in starting a career in composing?
SB:Learn everything you can about theory, eartraining, notation, styles, music history. Do whatever is in your power to seek out the top teachers and study with them. Listen to as much music as you can. Study scores to see how others got the sounds they did. And by all means, learn other things... history, art, languages, cultures, current events. Be a full person in every way. And start practicing yoga!

YM:Thank you for joining us, where can people find out more about Stuart Balcomb?
stuartbalcomb.com
myspace.com/stuartbalcomb
transcendentsound.net

To purchase the DVD and the soundtrack, go to
www.manduka.com